Josh Wolff to serve as player/assistant coach

D.C. United announced today that Major League Soccer and U.S. Men’s National Team veteran, Josh Wolff will serve in the role of player/assistant coach this season. A 15-year veteran of professional soccer, Wolff signed as a player with D.C. United on December 15, 2010 following his selection in the MLS Re-Entry Draft and will continue to be available for selection to game-day rosters.

“Josh’s experiences all over the world, his personality, and his skills on the pitch will make him an integral part of the team this season,” said United Head Coach Ben Olsen. “A leader on and off the field, Josh will play a greater role both on the field and in the locker room with these new coaching responsibilities. It is great to see that Josh will be taking the next step of his career here with D.C. United and we are lucky to have him.”

Last season, Wolff started 23 of the 30 games he appeared in and logged close to 2,000 minutes, netting five goals and assisting on seven more. Wolff joined the Black-and-Red from Sporting Kansas City (formerly Kansas City Wizards), having spent a combined seven MLS seasons with the Midwest club. In 2010, Wolff played in 25 matches for the Wizards (16 starts), scoring twice and recording three assists. In 2009, Wolff netted a career-high 11 goals, topping Kansas City’s roster in scoring while starting 27 League matches. Wolff featured in 12 regular season matches (11 starts) in 2008 following a mid-season return from German side 1860 Munich.

Wolff originally left for Europe in late 2006, departing Kansas City to sign with 1860 Munich in Germany’s second tier. During the 2007-2008 campaign, the forward featured in 34 Bundesliga 2 matches, scoring twice. Prior to his move abroad, Wolff played for the Wizards from 2003 through 2006, playing in 80 regular season matches during that time, starting 74 of those contests. During that period, Wolff notched 27 regular season goals and 20 assists.

The experienced forward was acquired by Kansas City from Chicago via trade in 2003, having spent his first five MLS seasons with the Fire. Wolff played in 84 regular season matches in Chicago, starting on 58 occasions. The Georgia native scored 32 times in those matches to accompany 15 assists. In his MLS rookie season, Wolff helped Chicago to win the 1998 MLS Cup over D.C. United, starting all five of the Fire’s playoff fixtures during that campaign. He also drew a penalty kick in the 1998 U.S. Open Cup Final to help Chicago capture that trophy, as well.

Internationally, Wolff has appeared 52 times for the U.S. Men’s National Team, scoring nine goals and adding five assists. The prolific forward made the U.S. roster for two World Cups, the first in 2002 in Korean and Japan. Wolff also went to the 2006 World Cup in Germany alongside current United boss Ben Olsen. In the 2002 World Cup, Wolff made two appearances for his country, assisting on Brain McBride’s goal that propelled the U.S. into the quarterfinal stage at the expense of Mexico. He scored the match-winning goal at the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final in a 2-0 win over Costa Rica. Wolff recorded his first international goal on October 25, 2000 in a 2-0 triumph against Mexico. He also played in every minute of the United States’ six matches in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.